Wednesday, 4 November 2015

The rapid change in the weather is reflected in our gardens and the surrounding landscape. Trees change colour and shape, daylight changes...

Morning mists and dew, cobwebs, falling leaves and a few fading flowers left amongst the seeds and pods...

Certainly there's been plenty to inspire me while I've been preparing

for these 'FELTED GARDEN' workshops.

I hoped it would be the same for those who came along!In late September the 'PAINTING with FIBRES' workshop was heldat NORTHCOURT MANOR (celebrating it's 400th centenary this year!)We were working in the old Music Room...

making felt rather than music, but still soaking up the marvellous atmosphere and creating some wonderful pictures.

I was really looking forward to the weekend of workshops at

VENTNOR BOTANIC GARDEN at the beginning of October.I hoped the ‘SEEDS & PODS’ theme would produce

some inspired work... I wasn’t disappointed!

And the autumnal themes carried on into the next 3-D workshop atQUARR ABBEY, which followed a couple of weeks later.

Felting small vessels enabled everyone to work so much quicker.Laying out more than one piece at a time and rolling them together gave more time for experimenting with techniques & textures.

I would like to have taken all of these little pots homeas they show the scope of this workshop perfectly!

Back at QUARR ABBEY last weekend and the FELT FLOWER workshop produced some amazing results.It's always tricky to photograph any felt at the end of the day as it's still wetbut even so the sheer quality and quantity of all the flowers here was impressive!

These 'FELTED GARDEN' workshops have been great fun!We've all enjoyed the felt making and the warm, very unseasonal, weather hasmade visiting the gardens and having lunch outside an extra pleasure...

Thanks to all of you who have taken part - I learn so much from my students -

And I couldn’t wait to start sewing into this felt piece

inspired by the honesty pods I’d picked some months ago...

There will be a new programme of 'FELTED GARDEN' workshopscoming up in the Spring - all with suitable seasonal themes.I'll be posting up the details in the New Yearso please keep checking in...

Wednesday, 10 June 2015

I’ve recently been felting flowers in preparation for ‘The Felted Garden’ flower workshops - the aim was to create flowers with different petal formations that can all be felted and shaped using the same method of laying out fibres…

So with a little artistic licence here are my flowers -

pansies, clematis, poppies and lilies…

Felting flowers is a perfect class for beginners as it introduces the basic

techniques of felting and gets everyone used to handling the fibres,

but when first timers come into the class and see the samples they always

shy away and worry that they’ll never be able to do this…

Well... after a couple of hours things change!

As you can see by these workshop photos, contagious enthusiasm takes hold

and by the end of the day everyone goes home with several beautiful flowers,

leaves and stems, and a desire to continue making more…

Now I'm busy getting ready for the Isle of Wight Open Studios which takes

place in July, and 'The Felted Garden' workshops will continue in September

at some greatgarden venues, with suitably autumnal themes..

I will be holding a "Painting with Fibres" workshop at Northcourt Manor, Shorwell

and there will be plenty of inspiration to be found in the extensive gardens

Monday, 6 April 2015

With this wonderful weather over the Easter break I guess many of you are enjoying your gardens, visiting garden centres and maybe venturing

further afield into the glorious countryside…

Here on the Isle of Wight we have an exceptionally mild climate and the camellias, magnolias and cherry blossom are spectacular this year, vivid purple aubretia clings to almost every wall and primroses, daffodils, tulips are everywhere you look. But April can be a cruel month, tricking us into thinking that spring is finally here… Frost is never far away and can easily destroy any early planting out so we can’t afford to be too optimistic!

I have some workshops coming up which connect beautifully with this flowery

theme and feature felt flowers, plants and Island gardens...

The first is a ‘PAINTING with FIBRES' workshop on Saturday 11th April at WAYSIDE HERBS in Yafford atthe home of Joy Verrinder.

Here you will find plenty of inspiration for your felt pictures in

Joy’s amazing herb garden and the countryside surrounding her home.

I’m also delighted to announce another new venue...

I’ve been invited to hold a FELTING FLOWERS workshop at

Ventnor Botanic Garden on 30th May which is exciting news!

In this workshop you will be taking inspiration from the flowers in their

famous gardens and greenhouses and you will have the opportunity to

sketch and photograph the wonderful flowers growing at their best!

Then back in the studio I will show you how to create 3-dimensional

flower shapes, organic leaf forms and stems from felt…

There is also a FABULOUS FELT JEWELLERY day on the 7th June

at Brading Roman Villa which continues the flower theme!

I will show how to make some fantastic felt flowers, which can be turned into

Tuesday, 20 January 2015

Mid-way through January already and with signs of spring around the corner(the daffodils are blooming in Freshwater Bay) it’s a perfecttime to look ahead and plan some creative time for yourself!

I’m delighted to be able to post these NEW dates for Felt Making Workshops at some of my favourite venues on the island...

The FELT SCARF WORKSHOP at QUARR ABBEY proved really popular last year

and I’m not surprised as it is such a wonderful location, so here's two new dates..

Saturday 21st February AND Saturday 28th March : 10.00 am - 4.00 pm

The workshop will be held in the Old Book Shop and is for ALL abilities. I will be showing how to felt either a lattice scarf or a ’nuno’ style scarf and you will go home at the end of the day with a unique piece of felt to wear!

The workshop is £30 for the day, with materials extra. All equipment is provided. There will be a selection of beautiful hand-dyed fibres available to buy on the day, but if you already have fibres you'd like to use bring them along.

There’s plenty of working space, free parking, easy access and the Garden Tearooms does great snacks & lunches. Lots more workshop photos here...

There will be another workshop at a NEW venueSEELY HALL at Brook on Sunday 15th March : 10 am - 4 pm

This is a '3-D Workshop' designing & felting a bag, vessel or 3-D form

working round a resist and is aimed at those with some felting experience.

This workshop is £30 for the day, with materials extra.

I will have fibres available to buy on the day but again if you do have

wool & fibres please bring them along!

There's plenty of working space, free parking and easy access at the hall

The theme is ‘Painting with Fibres’ and we invite you to take inspiration from the plants in Joy’s herb garden and the landscape surrounding her home in Yafford and create a felt picture using wool fibres and textures.

This workshop is for all abilities. The cost of the day is £30, with fibres extra.

All equipment will be provided. Packs of fibre will be available to buy on the day

and again you are welcome to bring your own.

If you are interested in coming along to Yafford and you would like to make a booking please contact Joy on 01983 740787.

For more information on any of the workshops at Quarr & Brook and to make a booking please contact me direct on 01983 752872

And I must just say a very big THANK YOU to all my wonderful students past & present who kindly let me use their work on these posts...